February 20, 2019

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy

Speaker Minority Leader
H-232, The Capitol H-204, The Capitol
Washington, DC Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Chuck Schumer

Majority Leader Minority Leader
S-230, The Capitol S-221, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC, 20510

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Schumer,

We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of American citizens nationwide, urge you to
reject the so-called “For the People Act,” H.R. 1, which would have a chilling effect on free speech in
America and federalize all U.S. elections.

The First Amendment is the hallmark of our republic. The unfettered right of the people to freely criticize
their elected representatives is what ensures that U.S. policymaking remains accountable to the American
people. Any bill that claims to be “for the people” must recognize this basic American truth.

H.R. 1 would expose the identities of countless Americans who contribute to nonprofit
organizations.​ This opens them up to widespread political intimidation and harassment. Brave American
patriots set the foundation for our nation writing under the anonymous pen names of Publius and Brutus.
They understood the value of anonymity. Members of Congress should not break with this tradition by
passing a bill that would have a chilling effect on civic engagement and free speech.

Another provision of the bill would force sponsors of online political content to file duplicative,
burdensome reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).​ It would further require
impractical and inflexible disclaimers on many online ads while also likely regulating organizations’
communications on social media and their own websites. Under such a framework, the only people who
could afford to speak would be those with extensive resources and a formidable legal team. This is
effectively a free speech deterrent and has no place in our democracy.

The right to vote goes hand in hand with the First Amendment. ​H.R. 1 would further undermine the
Constitution by broadly defining political “coordination.”​ This would effectively ban any and all
nonprofits from contacting a member of Congress or their staff about any policy issue. This is a blatant
assault on the ability of the people to petition their government.

Unfortunately, H.R. 1 also seeks to decrease the number of commissioners on the FEC from six to
five. This will end the Commission’s long history of being a bipartisan body.​ As a partisan body, it
could be used by the party in power to weaponize election laws against political opponents. Such an
outcome would decrease public confidence in our elections. This must never be allowed to happen.

This is not the only assault on our election process. ​H.R. 1 would essentially nationalize elections and
disregard the proper role of states and localities in determining best election practices.​ Not every
precinct is created equal, and each has different needs to ensure it runs smoothly on election day. A
one-size-fits-all fiat from the federal level would ensure chaos on Election Day and prevent many voters
from having their voices heard.

H.R. 1 includes a provision that would provide candidates with a 6-to-1 taxpayer-funded subsidy for
small-dollar campaign contributions. ​This means that taxpayers – Republicans and Democrats alike –
will be forced to subsidize political campaign literature and ads with which they disagree. ​This could
mean Democrats funding pro-Second Amendment campaign ads through their tax dollars or Republicans
paying for pro-abortion ads.

There is also a provision in H.R. 1 that would allow federal bureaucrats to monitor polling places
and receive payment for doing so. ​Federal employees, who inherently have a stake in the outcomes of
elections, have no business monitoring polling places in such close proximity to thousands of voters. This
is a thinly veiled form of voter intimidation.

Our nation is only a few years removed from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeting scores of
Americans for their political beliefs. H.R. 1 lifts the policy rider that banned the IRS from codifying
such targeting practices into law.​ The lesson from that scandal was to stop political targeting, not to
encourage it.

Revealing the identities of donors and increasing the federal role in our election process are also not
lessons to be learned from that scandal. As lawmakers who have taken an oath to preserve and protect the
Constitution, we urge you to promote legislation that champions free speech, not legislation that severely
limits it. ​This is why we, on behalf of the activists and voters we represent, ask you to oppose H.R. 1.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon Grover Norquist

President President
FreedomWorks Americans for Tax Reform

Pete Sepp Tim Chapman

President Executive Director
National Taxpayers Union Heritage Action

David McIntosh Jonathan Bydlak

President President
Club for Growth Coalition to Reduce Spending
Nathan Nascimento Brent Gardner
Executive Vice President Chief Government Affairs Officer
Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce Americans for Prosperity

Daniel Garza Dan Caldwell

President Executive Director
The LIBRE Initiative Concerned Veterans for America

Tom Schatz Lisa B. Nelson

President CEO
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste ALEC Action

Patrick Purtill David Bozell

Director of Legislative Affairs President
Faith and Freedom Coalition ForAmerica

Jeff Mazzella Matt Kibbe

President President
Center for Individual Freedom Free the People

Jenny Beth Martin Bob Barr

Honorary Chairman Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Action Liberty Guard

Phil Kerpen David Williams

President President
American Commitment Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Seton Motley Andrew Langer

President President
Less Government Institute for Liberty

James L. Martin Saul Anuzis

Founder/Chairman President
60 Plus Association 60 Plus Association

Mario H. Lopez Norm Singleton

President President
Hispanic Leadership Fund Campaign for Liberty
Ryan Ellis Heather Lauer
President Policy Director
Center for a Free Economy People United for Privacy

Victor Riches Judson Phillips

President President
Goldwater Institute Tea Party Nation

James Bopp, Jr. Ted McCabe

General Counsel CEO
James Madison Center for Free Speech Freedom Foundation

Matt Kandrach Dudley Brown

President President
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy National Association for Gun Rights

Annette Meeks Jameson Taylor

CEO Vice President of Policy
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota Mississippi Center for Public Policy